Chapter Five – Prelude To The Crisis

Kari set down her lunch tray and plunked into a seat next to Yolei in the noisy cafeteria, in the corner the Digidestined all usually sat in. "Hey 'Lei, how's it going?"

"Great!" Yolei smiled, an excited gleam in her eye. "I'm just so hyper about Saturday, I can't wait! Time's going so slowly!"

"I know, it's going to be so cool!" Kari laughed. She grinned slyly. "TK's been pestering me all morning. He just knows we'll be talking about him. It's so funny!"

"I knew it!" came a huffy voice from behind. "I knew you were going to be talking about us!"

Kari swivelled round to see TK, Daisuke and Cody standing behind them, all holding lunch trays and all wearing equally frustrated looks. "Talking about you?" she said innocently in a sugary-sweet voice. "Whoever said that? Yolei, do you know what he'sgoing onabout?"

"No," Yolei said coolly, picking at her Caesar Salad. "I have absolutely no idea. Why don't you boys sit down instead of standing around, hm?"

Davis pulled out a chair and set down his tray sulkily, eyeing Kari. "Well, just as long as you don't get any ideas about inviting Ju-"

"Hey, isn't that Matt, Tai and Sora?" Yolei interrupted, peering behind him. "What's going on? They're following her around like lost puppies." Glancing over the lunchroom, Kari saw Sora storm over to them, fending off Tai and Matt on the way.

"For the last time, DROP IT, you two!" Sora marched over to the table, flinging herself into a seat and giving a long sigh.

"Well then, tell us!" Tai insisted.

"You're so paranoid!" Sora laughed. "What makes you think we'll even bring you up? We do have better things to talk about, you know!"

"Thanks a lot, dude!" Matt gave her a mock glare.

"You know what I mean." Sora took a huge bite of lasagne. "Hey Kari, Yolei, TK, Daisuke, Cody…" She looked around. "Any more?"

"Nope, Mimi's with her other friends today," Kari told her as Matt and Tai sat down. She waved across the room at Mimi, who gave them a smile and waved back. "Hey Izzy, Joe," she smiled as the two walked over and sat down. "Good day?"

"Not bad," said Joe, slinging his jacket over a chair, "but Izzy's having a worse time." He raised an eyebrow as Izzy promptly flopped over the table, burying his face in his arms and not looking up.

"Izzy…?" Yolei said timidly, leaning over to peer at him. "Are you ok?"

"My life is over." The voice was muffled through the layers of shirt and jacket. Yolei looked up at Joe with worried curiosity.

"He got a B on a test," Joe said by way of explanation, reaching over the table with a fork and stealing some of Sora's lasagne.

"Is that it?" Tai laughed. "I thought somebody died or something! Talk about overreacting!"

"And you'd know all about overreacting now, wouldn't you Tai?" Sora quipped, ducking from the lettuce-leaf he threw at her. "Izzy's grades are very important to him."

"It's not just that," Joe whispered dramatically. "He's worried about his social life…"

Izzy emerged from his cocoon and glared at Joe. "Of course I'm not, you idiot. I have friends, loads of them. Somebody spoke to me only yesterday. And it was Tuesday or the day before when Matt bumped into me and said "Damn!" The Social Round. Always something Going On."

Sora tried to cover her laughter. Kari put her hand over her mouth.

"Of course, I didget a phone-call from Yolei yesterday," Izzy continued sourly, "but she's the only one, unless you count Tai ringing to moan at me. I don't-"

"Oh, did I mention?" Sora interrupted, looking at Kari and Yolei. "I asked Jun if she'd like to come with us, and she said she'd love to."

"NOOOOOOO!" Daisuke wailed. "No! Why Jun? Why her? Why must you torture me so!"

"Calm down, Dai!" yelled Kari. "You're acting like we've ordered your execution! Besides, it's gotnothing to do with you."

"Yes it has! Do you know what she's going to say about me? You'll never look at me the same way again!"

Matt was, for thethird time that week, convulsed in laughter.

"I wouldn't be so happy if I were you, Matt!" Daisuke spat. "Just think what they'll be telling Jun about you! How to get backstage at your gigs… where you keep your spare house-key…"

"AS – I – WAS – SAYING," Izzy said loudly and sternly as Matt stopped laughing and went pale, "as I was saying before I was interrupted by various Loud Sounds…"

"Sorry, Izzy," Kari giggled. "Go on."

"As I was saying - my ultimate cause of crippling depression is that there's no way in hell I'm going to be able to get a date for the half-term dance." Izzy announced gloomily.

"None of us have yet," TK pointed out, cramming a burger into his mouth.

Izzy sighed. "Yes, but TK, dear TK, I'm afraid you are missing the point. You'll have no trouble getting a date. Girls are always falling at your feet. This is something that just doesn't happen to people like me."

"Oh, don't be silly, Izzy!" Kari scoffed. "There'll be loads of girls who'll want to go with you!"

"Name one."

Kari opened her mouth and looked awkwardly at Yolei, who promptly gave her a deathglare. She shut it with a snap.

"See?" Izzy challenged. "There's no-one. I don't know if I'll even go."

"Aw, c'mon Iz!" cajoled Yolei. "You'll have a good time whoever you go with! You don't have to have a date – we can all go in a big group, if you want. You're not unpopular. Hey, us girls were talking just the other day about how nice you are!"

"You were?" Matt raised his eyebrows.

"Ah," said Izzy glumly, "very quaint, but surely misheard. Don't try to cheer me up. Don't worry about me, don't think about bringing me back anything from the dance. I expect someone may turn up trumps and sent down the odd bits that got trodden on. Kind and Thoughtful. Don't mention it."

Sora burst into laughter. "Izzy! Have you been reading Eeyore's Little Book of Gloom again?"

Izzy sunk back into his cocoon of jacket. "Yes," came the muffled reply, "it feeds my depression. Just to think about the fun you'll be having. It waxes fat on my isolation."

The entire group was laughing to hard to speak. "Jesus Izzy…" Matt gasped. "You crack me up, dude, you really do!"

"Glad to be of help," came the muffled reply.

"Sorry…" Matt apologised weakly.

"No, don't mention it. Go ahead. Enjoy yourself."

"I am," said Matt.

"Some can," said Izzy.


"Two… three… four…"

"Tell me."

"No… five… six…"

"I'll buy you a new tennis ball."

Sora propped herself up on her elbow. "A new tennis ball? What kind of offer is that?" She looked back up at the blue sky, shading her eyes with her hand. "Seven… eight… nine. Nine tiny clouds in the sky. They look like mini marshmallows, don't they?" She smiled and flopped back onto the grass. "It feels like I could just take one out of the sky and eat it."

Tai laughed. "You're a nut, Sora Takenouchi."

"Yeah. I am."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sora looked over at him. "You wouldn't?"

"Why would I?" Tai pulled out a few strands of grass and watched them flutter from his fingers. "You've always been a nut. No reason to change now."

"But you like me being a nut?"

"If you weren't, you wouldn't be as interesting."

"Lucky it's already hot today, I haven't blushed so much since TK told me he liked my new earmuffs."

Tai threw a handful of grass at her playfully. "I'm serious! You're on my wavelength. I guess that's why we get on so well. You're like another guy to me."

Sora sighed. Here it was again. Why didn't anybody think of her as female? "Another guy? Don't you ever look at me as a girl, too?"

Tai frowned, blushing a little. "What- you mean as a- a- in a way that's… I don't know, in a romantic-"

"No!" Sora said quickly, laughing a little. She'd forgotten how hopeless Tai could be when it came to discussing romance. "I just meant, don't you ever see me as a girl you get on really well with, instead of a girl-guy hybrid?"

Tai chuckled, relieved, but his cheeks were still tinged with pink. "Well… It's hard to explain. Obviously I know you're a girl, but that never seems to be an issue."

Sora raised an eyebrow, not sure how to interpret him. "Oh, thanks…"

"I don't mean it like that! What I mean is……" Tai struggled to find the words. "What I mean is that when we're together, it doesn't matter who's a guy and who's a girl, we get on and that's all that matters. I guess what sets you apart from other girls I know is the way I can be totally relaxed around you, I don't have to always watch what I say, if I tease you about being fat or your clothes or anything, you tease me back and we can just have a laugh about it. If I said those things to someone like Mimi, I'd be in for some serious trouble." Tai ran his fingers through the soft grass, his features thoughtful.

"I've never really thought about it before, but that's kind of what makes you special next to other girls. I don't have to be on edge or try to be cool or say the right things." He laughed suddenly. "It doesn't matter, because half the time you know what I'm going to say anyway. You're Sora and I'm Tai, and we're best friends, and it doesn't matter if you're girly or not. You're just Sora to me, and I don't care about anything else."

Sora couldn't speak. She was lost for words. "I– well- thanks," she stuttered, incredibly flattered. When had Tai last talked about her like this? She couldn't even remember.

Tai looked a little shy, obviously wondering where his little outburst had come from. He looked at his watch. "Well, I better get back into school. Fujiyama-sensei gave me a detention for screwing up my economics homework." He hovered for a second, his chocolate eyes holding an unrecognisable expression, before wavering forward and giving her a clumsy hug. "Ring ya later, dude." And with that, he stood up and ambled across the field.

Sora sat perfectly still, staring after him, her mouth hanging open in shock.


Not many lights could be seen in the Ishida residence. From outside, the only thing illuminating the living room was the flickering, bluish glow of the TV set, but no-one was watching it.

Malcolm Ishida was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as the kettle boiled. Tea, he mused to himself, was about the only thing he could make without it burning, being undercooked, oddly flavoured or turning out a strangely delicate shade of primrose. He left the cooking to Matt – at least he enjoyed it, and was quite gifted at it to boot. :A relic of Nancy: he thought to himself. :She was a fantastic cook.:

The kettle sent up a tiny jet of steam and the switch made a quiet snap as it clicked off. Pouring out the tea, Malcolm took a sip from his mug and picked up the other one before leaving the kitchen in darkness and heading to the basement.

The door was slightly ajar. Bits and pieces of guitar tunes wandered up the stairs, mingled every now and again with the sound of his son's voice, softly singing as he tested out his newly-written lyrics. Malcolm paused, taking a minute to listen. Cooking, singing, playing instruments, writing songs… Matt definitely had a talent when it came to the arts. He'd have to encourage him see what he could do with a paintbox one of these days. Malcolm smiled involuntarily as he heard his son play a wrong note, curse quietly and start the line over again. He sounds just like his old man, he thought fondly.

Pushing open the door and descending down the steps, he saw the familiar figure sitting on the amp bent avidly over his red guitar, blond hair flopping over his cat-like blue eyes, slender fingers strumming gently on the strings, concentration etched into the porcelain-pale features. Hearing him approach, Matt looked up at his father and gave a vague grin.

"Hey, Dad."

"How's the composition going?" Malcolm asked, handing him the mug of tea, which he accepted gratefully.

"Not as well as I want it to go," Matt admitted, alternately sipping and blowing on his tea to cool it. "The lyrics just aren't working. S'pose I'm kind of stressed."

"Why's that?" Malcolm inquired, leaning against the wall in a posture remarkably like his son's. "Anything bothering you?"

"Well, for a start, I'm playing at the half-term dance, and I still haven't got this song right, and it's in two days," Matt said, frowning. "And then there's…" he trailed off.

"What?"

"I don't know, dad..."

"C'mon son, spill. Whatever it is, I bet I did something worse."

Matt couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sure that's not what they tell you to say to your children in Psychology Today."

Malcolm caught his mood, and grinned. "To hell with Psychology Today. But don't tell your mother I said that. Come on, Matt, tell me what's bothering you."

Matt chewed his lip, fiddling with his guitar strap. "Wellll…when you were my age… did you ever feel like you weren't ever gonna find someone who really understood you? Someone who you can say was a really, really good friend? Maybe more?"

Malcolm was silent for a minute. So that was it. Matt was lonely.

"Dad?"

"Sorry. Ok, all I can tell you is; before you start searching frantically for the living version of an image in your head you think is the perfect partner – look harder at the people you're already close to. That person you're hunting for could be right under your nose."

Matt looked pensive for a second. Then he nodded. "Yeah… but what I really want, above everything else, is to tell someone – you know… about me – what I am…"

So that was it too. Matt wanted to get off his chest what he had so far only confided in his father about. "You mean tell your friends you're bi?" Malcolm asked gently.

Matt nodded again, his eyes to the floor.

Malcolm left the wall to sit on the amp by his son. "Matt, promise me that whoever you tell and whatever their reaction, you won't ever be ashamed of yourself and what you are. Ok?"

"Yeah…" Matt's voice was uncertain.

"Well, let's look at it another way. Who would you like to tell?"

Matt thought for a second. "Well, TK, of course. I'm not to worried about telling him, I don't think he'll be bothered. I'd like all the gang to know – when they do, and if they're ok about it, I can finally relax and be myself practically all the time."

"I see. And who out of those people do you trust most, who'd be likely to give you the most support?"

"Well, I know they'd all at least try and support me," Matt said decisively. Loyal as ever, Malcolm smiled to himself. "But I think I'd most like to tell… I mean, the person I'd like to know…"

Malcolm took his best shot. "Taichi?"

"And Sora." Matt nodded, more to himself than anyone else. "I want Tai and Sora to know more than anyone else. They're my best friends out of all of them, and I know they'd be ok with it."

"Then you should tell them," Malcolm advised. "The sooner you get it off your chest, the sooner you can stop treading on eggshells around people. Just do it in the right time and place, that's all. Make sure it's private. They're good kids, Tai and Sora, I think you're judgement's pretty sound on this one."

Matt looked up at his father, his clear eyes showing his gratitude. "Thanks, Dad."

Malcolm stood up, clapping his son on the shoulder. "No problem. You know where I am."

"Most of the time," Matt joked, slinging the guitar strap back over his shoulders and flicking the amp on.

Malcolm chuckled as he climbed back up the basement stairs, the sound of his son's singing and soft strumming following him up into the house.


Rumpleteasza: I couldn't resist putting a Malcolm/Matt chit-chat scene in. By the way - a word to Tani, who read and reviewed all my fics really nicely. Thanks, Tani! (showers Tani and the other reviewers with sherbet) Chapter 6 up soon, and chapter 7 straight after it, because 6 is only about one page long.

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